Live. Laugh. Love.

Before marriage I was a city girl through and through! We never grew anything, actually we killed any plants that came our way. Let's just say instead of a green thumb we had the kiss of death when it came to plants. However, when I married Matt, we moved to his grandparent's old house next to his parent's house that sat on about 100 acres of land. So growing up Matt and his family grew their own produce and canned or froze much of the food for the winter months. I am so thankful to my mother & father-in-law for showing me how to grow my own produce and can and freeze that food for later use. Since we live in a development now we are unable to grow large amounts of vegetables to can, but we try to grow enough to cover every day use.There is so much to be said about growing your own food. First, you know exactly where it came from and how it was treated for pests and disease. There is also a sense of pride when growing your own produce. So where am I going with all of this? Well I tried a new recipe using the produce that ready to eat. If you grow your own produce, you know that when it starts to be ready to pick, it comes all at once, which is why you can. So today's featured recipe is something new that is husband (Matt) approved, clean, and healthy!

Cook the Quinoa according to the instructions on the box or bag. Boil chicken. While the quinoa & chicken are cooking clean and chop up tomatoes and basil. Put them in a bowl with the balsamic vinegar. When quinoa is finished put in the tomato/basil mixture bowl and mix. When chicken is done, shred, or I used a mini food processor because it is faster. Mix the chicken with the tomato/basil/quinoa with 1/2 cup of sauce. Place the mixture in a pan, I think mine was an 8X8 or 9X9. Top with remainder of the sauce, and then the cheese. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Enjoy!